An analysis of the country’s current situation indicates that we are facing a de facto weak government, with little popular support, but with the capacity to govern, repress and move its national and international pieces. An opposition with the capacity to massively mobilize the population, with broad international support and for now unified in one route, which gives it the capacity to put the government in check but without being able to impose itself.

In the midst of the conflict, international economic sanctions are advancing and are likely to exacerbate the serious economic and social situation.  Maduro and his leadership persist in their erroneous economic policies and their enormous inefficiency in governing generates an increase in poverty, accelerated deterioration of public services, and an increase in the cost of living at alarming levels, exacerbating the Complex Humanitarian Emergency.

The situation of a large-scale political conflict in a context of increasing economic and social crisis makes the dynamics of the country risky and unsustainable and generates anxiety in the Venezuelan family. A solution is urgently needed.

In that direction there are interesting proposals on the ground. In my opinion, the best one is the one presented by the International Contact Group. It is made up of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as Ecuador, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Bolivia. This coalition of countries proposed to take all the necessary steps to help create conditions in Venezuela so that in a reasonable time a political agreement can be reached that involves calling new free and fair presidential elections in the country and that they are carried out with international supervision.

It also established efforts to secure the release of political prisoners and the lifting of the proscription of opposition leaders and parties to participate in political activity, as well as the entry of international assistance to meet the unsatisfied basic needs of the population.

The fundamental thing about the International Contact Group’s proposal is that it establishes that any political negotiation must have as its central axis the call for presidential elections. This route indicates that the people are given the protagonism so that through the vote they decide who will be the next president of the Republic after credible elections and with an electoral authority who offers confidence in the result.

It is very interesting that in the last Declaration of the international coalition known as the Lima Group, an initial dialogue with the International Contact Group was established. The two groups agree on the need for the solution to the conflict in our country to pass through the announcement of elections.

Prolonging the current crisis can lead to a scenario of increased forced migration, increased misery and scenarios of violence that will only aggravate suffering. The political leadership of the country has a responsibility to prevent this from happening and from within civil society we must exert sufficient pressure for a peaceful, constitutional, democratic solution that gives the people their leading role to decide through their vote, the destiny of our country.

The military must contribute, acting within the framework of the Constitution, to this electoral and peaceful route, and cooperate to create the necessary conditions for its realization. Refrain from repressing the people who speak out in the streets in a peaceful manner and do not support any group that intends to use them to settle the conflict through violent actions against a sector of the population.

Photo by Dale Letra